


You Never Change

by angry_croissant



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Dipcifica, Dipifica - Freeform, F/M, OC is over 30 and solely for plot purposes, Other, Past Dipper Pines/Candy Chiu, Post-Canon, They have way too many ship names and none of them are good
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-15
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-01-31 00:00:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21436840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angry_croissant/pseuds/angry_croissant
Summary: Mason “Dipper” Pines, now twenty-four years old, lives on his own in an apartment complex in Piedmont, California. Ever since Weirdmageddon, he's been struggling to forget the unsettling weirdness that has since disappeared from the town. His not as melancholic as he'd like to admit demeanor somehow leads him to an old friend from his childhood, Pacifica Northwest. As he starts to reconnect with her, Dipper also begins to struggle between moving forward with his life and holding onto the past.Pacifica Northwest, estranged daughter of billionaire Preston Northwest, resides in a quaint but beautiful home in Los Angeles, California. She has a well-paying job as a model for anything ranging from makeup to clothing to jewelry. Living by and supplying for herself, Pacifica hasn’t spoken to her parents since her teenage years. This changes, however, when one night she receives a call from her father about an arranged marriage. Feeling guilty for cutting off her family for eight years, Pacifica accepts the deal. However, as time goes by and she rekindles a long-forgotten friendship, Pacifica slowly begins to realize her mistake in doing so.
Comments: 7
Kudos: 20





	1. Come Home

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, everyone. I apologise for the hiatus, but, once again, I wasn't feeling this story. So, today I went ahead and rewrote the first chapter for the fourth time. 
> 
> I have also edited the summary and much prefer the direction of the new-new version. (Warning: I plan for this to be a bit darker then the original.)
> 
> Note: When the story is told from Dipper's perspective, he'll be referred to as Mason as he would call himself by his real name as an adult. When it is told from Pacifica's perspective, he'll be referred to as Dipper.

A small, breathy laugh, a rushed goodbye and the tap of a screen and Mason "Dipper" Pines was left with only the sounds of crickets and the occasional bird as he walked aimlessly through the park. 

The sun was slowly beginning to set, leaving the park in a soft, pink-orange hue. As Mason walked, focusing his gradually lessening attention on the quiet hum of the crickets, he held his head low and watched his feet. He kept his hands in the pockets of his jeans, his phone still held tightly in his right. He'd gone out for a calming walk to clear his head but was interrupted when his sister called him just as he'd left his apartment. 

She had called to tell him about her day; recalling all of the fun things she did with her friends, the people she met while purchasing tickets for some carnival that he didn't even know was in the works, and the projects she was currently working on. 

As much as he loved his sister, though, he had been more than grateful when she decided to busy herself with something else. 

Mason's head shot up at the sound of grass rustling a few feet ahead of him. He sighed when he saw the cause of the sound, two deer, a doe and her baby.

Wasn't it a little late in the year for a nearly newborn to still be trailing behind its mother like that? Mason distracted himself with thought like that, it was better than focusing on why the sound had caused him to react the way he did. 

Although he would never admit it, Mason had become overly paranoid about his surroundings, he had been ever since the first summer he spent in Gravity Falls. Going home after Weirdmageddon, Mason had been fine. But as the months went by, he had slowly begun feeling like he was never alone, like the weirdness of Gravity Falls, like Bill, was still lurking behind every corner. It was easy to hide at first, but over time, especially as of late, his paranoia was consuming him.

Hence the walk, well, walks, as he'd been going out quite frequently as of late. They seemed to relax him for a little while, sometimes they even cleared his mind for the night, however it was not one of those nights. 

Mason ran his hands through his hair, breathing out a long, tired sigh. He'd been standing in place for a little over a minute since the deer had crossed through the pathway and he began hearing the faint sound of footsteps and casual conversation grow closer from behind him. 

By now, the sky had started to turn a pinkish-purple color as the world continued to grow darker. 

He chewed on his lip, a habit he'd had since middle school, and continued walking on, this time with a destination.


	2. Sorry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you aren't new or haven't read the notes at the first chapter, I've once again rewritten the chapter, so you'll need to read it again if you want any context for this one.

The sound of cars racing by and the occasional horn or siren had begun to fill Mason's ears as he left the park, walking on the sidewalk alongside homes and streets instead. 

Mason had cringed when he'd gotten close enough to the park's exit to begin hearing the sounds of the city once again. He almost compared the busyness of it to to the calmness of Gravity Falls, but stopped himself just as the thought had sprung up. 

Now out of the park, the ever darkening city was lit up by street and garden lights and the occasional lantern hanging from someone's porch. If not for the sounds, the scene would be quite calming. If not for the sounds. 

Mason walked at a slightly fast but nevertheless leisurely pace down the sidewalk. As he walked, he took notice at how the homes gradually became newer and larger the closer he got to his destination. 

Finally coming upon said destination after a few more minutes, he stared up at the large home, chewing on the inside of his mouth anxiously as he slowly made his way to the door. He stopped at the steps to the small porch, contemplating leaving and going back to his apartment instead. 

With a short exhale, he walked up the steps and rang the doorbell. It was silent inside the home, but he knew that the owner was home and would be wide awake well into the night. Confirming his thoughts, he heard light footsteps approach the door, then the click of the lock, then the door opened. 

"Dipper?" Came the soft voice of Candy Chiu, paired with wide, slanted brown eyes. She pushed her hair behind her ear, an eyebrow cocked at him, "What are you doing here?" She asked. Though her voice was still soft and kind, her eyes were narrowed ever so slightly and her lips were formed in a straight line, revealing her disapproval of his sudden arrival. 

"I," He began, thinking of an excuse, "I, uhm, was in the neighborhood." He told her, attempting eye-contact, though the exchange was brief and uncomfortable on both ends. 

Candy merely nodded at him, looking him over before stepping aside, wordlessly inviting him in. 

Mason repressed another sigh as he walked inside, taking in his surroundings. It wasn't like he'd never been here before, his sister had brought him here against his will for Christmas not even a year ago, however the place still felt unfamiliar, off, even, to him.

"You didn't answer my question," Candy's voice interrupted his thoughts as she shut the door behind him. She didn't say anything else and Mason assumed she was expecting a response from him. Her face only confirmed that, and he struggled again to think of something. 

Finally exhaling, Mason looked at the floor.

"I'm honestly not sure," and she gave that look, "I didn't want to go home." And she looked away. 

"Why not go to Mabel's?" She then asked, not moving her gaze from the flower pot that sat next to the door frame. 

"Well, for one thing, she still lives with our parents," He forced out a laugh, though Candy didn't look amused, and he sucked in a breath. When she didn't respond, he continued, "I didn't want Mabel to worry." He finally confessed.

When Candy looked up at him, he relaxed, knowing she understood. She always understood, it was one of the reasons he tried so hard to stay friends with her after the breakup. 

"Dipper, you're not in Gravity Falls anymore, and, even if you were, he's gone. He's been gone for years…" She trailed off. For a second, her mouth hung open like she had more to say, but the words never came. They didn't need to, though, because Dipper knew what she wanted to say, and his head lowered slightly, so much so that if she weren't looking directly at him, Candy wouldn't have noticed.

"I know, but…" He swallowed. But, what? What could he say to even begin to explain why he was still so inexplicably and incurably paranoid.

Dipper knew she still wasn't fully comfortable with him, they hardly even spoke because of it, but, to his surprise, she hugged him nonetheless. He hugged back after a couple of seconds, leaning into her almost immediately, and they stayed like that for a while. 

When she pulled away, Candy had returned to looking anywhere but him. 

"Come on," She finally said, "I'll drive you home. It's too dark to walk by now."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!


End file.
